---
title: "Configure storage for Aerospike on Kubernetes"
description: "Configure various Aerospike storage options on Kubernetes, including All Flash, SSD, OpenEBS, and Shadow Devices."
---

# Configure storage for Aerospike on Kubernetes

> For the complete documentation index see: [llms.txt](https://aerospike.com/docs/llms.txt)
> 
> All documentation pages available in markdown.

Aerospike Database supports several [storage configurations](https://aerospike.com/docs/database/manage/namespace/storage/config).

## Work directory and System MetaData (SMD)

Store the Aerospike work directory on persistent file system storage so [System MetaData (SMD)](https://aerospike.com/docs/database/manage/database/directory-structure#run-time-directories) files are retained across pod restarts. SMD holds cluster metadata such as secondary index definitions and security information.

Sample cluster Custom Resource (CR) files in the [Aerospike Kubernetes Operator (AKO) repository](https://github.com/aerospike/aerospike-kubernetes-operator/tree/v4.4.1/config/samples) include a persistent volume for the work directory. Define that volume in your cluster CR file under [`spec.storage.volumes`](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/reference/config-reference#volumes), or under `spec.rackConfig.racks[].storage.volumes` when a rack overrides storage.

## Configure storage

-   Use flash memory for the Aerospike data and indexes: [All Flash](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/all-flash)
-   Test an Aerospike cluster without using separate storage: [Data in Memory](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/data-in-memory)
-   Use a provisioned SSD storage device: [Data on SSD](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/data-on-ssd)
-   Store namespace data both in memory and on a persistent device: [HDD Storage with Data in Memory](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/hdd-storage)
-   Use the OpenEBS platform for persistent volume storage: [OpenEBS](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/openebs)
-   Use high-performance local SSDs with a network-attached shadow device for data durability in cloud instances: [Shadow Device](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/shadow-device)
-   Use persistent storage external to the Kubernetes pods: [Storage Provisioning](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/storage/storage-provisioning)

## Scaling

See [Scaling Aerospike on Kubernetes](https://aerospike.com/docs/kubernetes/4.4.x/manage/configure/scaling#aerospike-namespace-storage-scaling) for instructions on scaling storage after deployment.